Fetal Complications of Maternal Heroin Addiction

Failure to Thrive in the Perinatal Period

“…Severe growth retardation has occurred with the use of antimetabolite drugs such as aminopterin, and maternal administration of adrenocortical hormones has produced small for gestational age infants. Infants of narcotic addicts are frequently growth-retarded; it is not established whether this is related to the use of narcotics per se or whether these mothers have an inadequate diet (6). The fetal alcohol syndrome with growth retardation occurs with chronic ethanol usage by the mother (7).…”